A Quiet One
by TallyKayda
Summary: Stephanie makes some decisions in her life and ends up breaking it off with Joe and Ranger, and with the help of some Merry Men gets control of her life and learns sometimes the shy, quiet one is the right one. Steph/MM Pairing On Hiatus!
1. Gonna need more than luck

I've known things wouldn't work out between Joe and I for awhile now, I guess I just hoped I could get over my need to have more freedom than being a burg woman could bring me. I wouldn't mind having a partner, friend and lover stand beside me through life but I needed someone who wanted the same things out of life as me. And not the whole homely package of marriage, kids, a dog and a white picket fence. The only thing remotely interesting in that scenario is the dog and I'm not sure I'm ready for even that much responsibility in my life yet. They all felt like restraints made specifically to hold me back from life.

Unfortunately, my current other half Joe Morelli, a sexy Italian cop with a bad temper didn't feel the same and had just asked me to marry him…again.

This leads me to my most recent predicament. Sitting on a park bench behind the bonds office with wide eyes, knowing that it was now or never. I could accept the role of a woman born into my position and become a typical burg housewife and settle down with Morelli or I could end things now and so we could both move on with our lives. It was a sad revelation for me to learn that I would choose the second option, no matter what the consequences were, even if one of them was breaking the heart of the man kneeling front of me.

So, I took a deep breath and said "I'm sorry but-"

"You can't accept the role of a normal burg housewife and all its trappings." I nodded my head but I knew I looked confused. Joe was so calm and accepting. This was nothing like all our old break ups that ended either with Joe yelling or waving his hands around usually both at the same time.

"I'm sorry." I said again knowing it wasn't good enough but not having any other words to assuage my guilt or his hurt over what had just happened and what we knew would never happen again. It was over for good this time and I think we both knew it,

"I know you are cupcake, and that's why I'm not angry. Well, that and I think we both saw this coming?" I simply nodded; he was echoing my previous thoughts.

"I just wanted to try one last time before we ended things for good Steph." He said quietly.

With that last confession Joe leaned up, grabbed my face, and pulled it down to him. He first kissed my forehead then my nose before he stood up and walked away. I sat there on the bench watching him as he walked toward the car, slid inside, pulled his keys out of his pocket, slid them into the ignition and took off. He didn't glance back, not even once. I smiled to myself knowing he would eventually move on.

Now there was something I still had yet to deal with if I was serious about the changes was making to my life. So I took a deep, fortifying breath, stood and made my way across the park and into the alley. I walked slowly thinking of all the fond memories I had with a certain someone in its dark mysterious shadows. I smiled and shook my head, trying to quickly make my way to my car before I got caught.

I had just made it to my car and was about to slide my key into the lock when heard somebody call my name. And I groaned knowing just who it was.

Lula was one of my best friends but she couldn't keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. Lula is a…heavy-set black woman with enough cleavage to drown a man, skin dark as night, and hair that constantly changed colors. She was an ex-ho who had become a file clerk at the bonds office after she had been brutally assaulted by a, now dead boxer named Benito Ramirez.

Today it seemed Lula was in animal friendly mood if her outfit was anything to go by, she had on a skin tight jean skirt that barely went past her ass, a bulging spandex, tiger striped tank top, and four inch leopard print knee-high boots. And her hair was streaked black and orange to match her top.

"Yo Stephanie, what's going on with you and Officer Hottie? When I saw ya'll two walking back to the park I thought you might have been going on a real date for a change, but when he came back through he looked like somebody done went and shot his dog."

"Look Lula, I don't want to talk about it ok?"

"Hunh!" Lula said sounding offended, and not hiding it very well. "Well fine, I suppose you wanna let them thoughts rattled around in your brain a bit before you spill. But maybe I should come with you to pick up some of your skips, you know just in case you suddenly get in the mood for talking, you hears what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, alright, fine. Come on!" I said waving Lula into my beat up old Chevy truck. She grimaced but climbed in anyway, too curious about what was going to be worried about people seeing her riding in my POS truck.

"So where's we goin'?" Lula asked.

"We'll go after Eddie Paccini a 38-year-old divorcee who got drunk and attacked his ex-wife's house with a crowbar."

"Damn, what kinda damage did the boy do?"

"He yanked out some shingles from the edge of her roof, broke some windows, and tore her yard up. Said it was his house first, before he married her, and it was his right to do whatever he damn-well pleased to it."

"Fuckin' A!" Lula said.

"But, I do have an errand I have to run first, and you're going to have to stay in the car."

I could tell Lula was gearing for a heavy speech about how she demanded to come with me, but one look at my face and she swallowed her words.

"Hunh, guess I can stay in the car just this once, a'ight white girl? Just this once."

I breathed a sigh of relief then and started driving toward Haywood on auto pilot, thinking about how I was about to end things with a man I loved dearly and who was one of my best friend's next to Lula and Connie, and I could only hope I wouldn't lose my friendship with him when I ended whatever twisted form of a relationship we had.

The man I was ending things with was Ricardo Carlos 'Ranger' Manoso. His street name is Ranger given to him for being the best of the best of army rangers in the military, but my name for him was Batman man of mystery. Ranger is book smart and street smart, and while he lives is life and conducts his business in a somewhat gray area, he lives with a code of honor and integrity.

Ranger is a gorgeous Cuban-American solider who owns a security company known as Rangeman, he wears all black, painted on black t-shirt, black cargo pants, black combat boots, and a black utility belt full useful, sneaky tools.

He's got a constant aura of mystery surrounding him; he keeps all his feelings off his face and close to the vest, he always has at very least two guns and a knife on him and he claims to be in love with me…in his own way.

By the end of my inner monologue I was confused thinking about his behavior and words around me, and incredibly turned on picturing him in my head. He's a half a head taller than me, with melted chocolate eyes, rich mocha latté skin too dark to be pure Caucasian and too light to be pure Cuban, and hair so dark brown it's almost black and recently shaved shorter than I liked but he was still damn sexy. He's standing tall and proud, confident, his legs are braced apart, his arms crossed over his chest showing his muscles thick, but not bulging. His head is tilted just so, where he can look me in the eye and he's smiling that incredibly rare, sweet smile at me that I suspect I'm the only who's ever seen it since he joined the army-

"Yo, white girl, you ok?" Lula said loudly.

"Huh?" was my so very eloquent answer.

"Girl we been sitting in the Rangeman parking lot for the last five minutes with you string out the window with this dreamy ass expression on your face. What you thinking bout?" Lula said sounding concerned.

I tried to reassure her with my best denial smile but I don't think she was buying it.

Finally I decided I would tell Lula about what I was going to do. Maybe telling Lula was the best thing to do because if I told her and then chickened out and it got spread around and Ranger found out about it before I could tell things would not end well.

"Ok, look Ranger and I have been trapped in this relationship limbo for way too long, and I don't think I can keep it up so-"

"Holy crap, you're breaking up with Officer Hottie and Batman? All in one day? Damn, girl how you gonna get any?"

"That is what the clubs are for." I said with what I know had to be a crazy ass smile on my face. So sue me, I was starting to get nervous who wouldn't?

"Alright girlfriend whatever you say. You sure you don't want me to come up there with you?"

"Yeah, I got this." I said.

I took one last deep breath before crawling out of the car, and only leaning back in for a moment to say "Wish me luck?"

"Good luck!" Lula said. But right before I left I could have sworn I heard her say "Gonna need a whole lot more than luck…gonna need a god damn MIR-A-CLE…" under breath.

And with that cheerful thought I head onto the elevator toward level five…and Batman's office.


	2. Damn, I was going to miss this

As I rode up in the elevator I could feel the nervous energy washing through me and it took all I had not to start bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet, much less press the garage level button, make for my car and take off. It's not that I thought Ranger would hurt me physically but he could do a lot of damage mentally.

I loved Ranger as one of my best friends, sometimes as my partner, and an amazing former lover but I…damn…he just pissed me off sometimes. Like I said I trusted him with my life. He would never hurt me intentionally, but he would do whatever he thought would keep me safe and whatever _he _thought would make me happy. In his mind I would eventually want that happily ever after…burg style and no matter how many times I tell him it's not true, he just wouldn't listen! If he would just stop and- _Ding!_

The elevator doors slid open, revealing Junior smiling down at me. Luckily that was enough to ground my thoughts to a resounding halt and effectively distract me from what I was about to attempt.

"Hey, Steph." Junior said reaching forward to draw me into a tight hug. When I looked over Junior's shoulder I smiled to see most of the guys had taken a break from what they were doing to come over and see me. These guys were quick becoming my family and I would be heart broken if I had to stop seeing them because of how things went with Ranger. Remembering my reason for coming thrust me back into reality.

"Hey, guys just here to see Ranger. I have something to talk to him about."

"What beautiful? Not here for my sparkling personality?" Lester said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him for a faux look of intensity. I wanted to laugh at Lester's antics but all I could muster was a weak chuckle.

"I'm sorry guys but it's kind of important." I said pulling away from Les.

"You alright Steph?" Vince asked quietly.

"Yeah Vince I'm fine, thanks. Think maybe you and Hal could walk me to Ranger's office?" I said giving Hal a pleading look. I didn't have to see their faces to know they would be surprised to find I had asked them instead of Lester, Bobby, or Tank. But honestly once I got to know the guys, Les and Bobby it turned out were quite pushy and Tank was just too all knowing. I just didn't want that right now. Lester was a real nosey guy and would want to know exactly what was wrong, the entire sordid tale, Bobby was a worry-wart and would think I was sick or god forbid as he always seemed to think pregnant and would want to examine me, and Tank was just too observant for his own good. Tank would know and I would know he knew and I would be mortified. Hal and Vince however were both guys I thought would appreciate my need for silence and leave me be. As well as, I hope keep the others away from me.

Vince looked a little concerned when I asked, like what I said was out of character for me. Truthfully, it was out of character, I didn't like to hide behind others if I could help it. Even if such strong capable guys like Vince and Hal were willing to do the job. But today…today I just needed it.

Vince seemed to realize exactly what I wanted and simply wrapped his arm around me and moved us away from the wall so that Hal could move to my other side. Normally if the guys I had done something like this I would have called them out for it. I hated when the guys tried to act all manly and macho when I didn't want it, let alone need it. But today I enjoyed it, I felt protected and at peace.

That is until we wade it to Ranger's office then the queasy feeling came back. I was just standing there in front of the door trying to decide what to do, when Vince suddenly grabbed me again, spinning me around to face him.

"Steph do you think we could exchange numbers? That way you could call me if ever get into trouble…or you just want to talk?" I stopped and stared at him but he didn't move, just continued to stare back unwavering.

"Alright. But only if you will do the same?" I smiled.

Vince looked unsure for a moment, a flash of emotion so short it almost seemed unreal, before he agreed and held his phone out for me program in my number.

I was happy he agreed. I'd always liked Vince. He was quiet and didn't talk often but when he did it was with confidence and intelligence. I hoped with this we would get to know each other better.

"I guess I can't really avoid it anymore." I declared with false bravado after I handed Vince his phone back. I knocked on Ranger's door and waited for the gruff voice to call out, "Enter." I quietly and slowly opened the door.

When I first walked in Ranger's face had a stiff, no nonsense expression, but when he saw me it melt off to reveal an almost grin tugging at the very edges of his mouth. Looking at his gorgeous face and feeling that little hair-raising feeling on the back of my neck reminded me of how hard this would be, even if we did remain friends. I wanted to just slip out the door and pretend everything was good. But I knew if I did that I would slide right back into Denial Land and all the changes I planned to make in my life would fall apart. And I would be back to being indecisive Stephanie Plum.

During my inner monologue I had missed Ranger standing up and making his way around the desk toward me. He made a quiet sound of appreciation that startled me out of my reverie. When I glanced up he wrapped his arms around me and leaned in to whisper in my ear how happy he was I had made it in to see him. He moved back only to lean forward again, this time putting us face to face. He stared into my eyes for a moment before his forehead wrinkled in concentration, I knew he was about to ask me what was wrong but I couldn't bring myself to do it without one last kiss. So before he could say anything I slid one hand up to his chest gripping his shirt and the other up farther into his long silky dark hair, keep him close to me as I raised my face to his for an all I was worth kiss. I knew he was startled by the fact that I had initiated the kiss, and with such ferocity but after only a moment he joined in. We stood there kissing for a good two minutes before breathing became truly necessary and we both pulled back. It took Ranger a couple a seconds of heavy breathing before he could talk. Holy Toledo! I just made Batman pant like a marathon runner after just a single kiss. Damn, I was going to miss this.

"Damn Babe. That felt a little desperate and more than a little wild. You doing ok? Got some crazies after you making nervous?" he said flashing a short lived but adorable grin.

"Nah Batman, I'm good." I said with a wince, knowing it wasn't true. "I just have something to talk to you about."

Ranger simply squeezed me tighter and raised a single eyebrow encouraging me to continue.

Binkie POV:

"Hey does anybody know what's going with Stephanie?" I heard Zip ask. Something was wrong with Stephanie? Shit, I wonder if she was going being stalked again. Whoever it was was going to get their ass kicked by Ranger. Hell, that little was quick making this place into a family we'd probably all kick their ass.

"What do you mean? What's up Vince? Is Steph ok?" I said.

"No, something's off with her but I don't know what it is. She just went into Ranger's office looking like Atlas had just shifted the sky from his shoulders to hers. I swear if Ranger hurts her and Steph wants me to do something about it, the bastard is gone." He said heatedly.

"Damn." I said softly. Vince never talked that much, not if he could help it. He was one of those strong silent types. I knew Vince cared a lot about Steph, sometimes I wondered just how much he cared. It just seemed like there was more going when it came to how Vince felt about Steph, and I think he just proved my point.

"What?" he replied.

"I don't think I've ever heard you get that angry before, hell I don't think I've ever seen you talk this much in general." Someone was going to have to talk to him, we all knew Steph was the boss's woman. Not that Steph would agree she hates when Ranger called his woman. Said, 'there had to be something going on before there could be any owning going on and Damn straight, if there was any of that down, she would be the one doing the owning.' We all knew she only said it to make us think there wasn't anything going on, but holy crap, Steph was spitfire. You just had to love her. And damn, but she's got the body for it too with those legs of hers-

"It's about Steph." He said defensively.

"True, she worth every word isn't she?" I said a little hoarsely, trying to remember where I was at and why I was asking questions in the first place.

"Yes." And we were back to the one word answers.

"You think everything is ok?" Hal asked just as Steph walked out of the office, her big blue eyes glassy like she was holding back crying. Before anybody could say anything she started toward the elevator, but she saw us heading toward her out of the corner of her eye. Rather than wait for the elevator like she would have any other time she darted into the stairwell shocking us enough that she gained a few seconds. If steph was upset enough to take the stairs just to avoid us, then whatever happened must have been bad. She was either humiliated or hurt, terribly hurt.

The few seconds she earned turned out to be just enough for her to jump in her car and take off before we could get there.

"Holy crap." Junior said. Then took a deep breath and bravely asked, "Who's going to confront Ranger?" No one had an answer. I sure as hell wanted to but knew as a younger member and not a particularly close friend to Steph I didn't have the right.

I glanced at my partner Vince and he leaned over to show me his cell phone. It was a text from Stephanie asking that Vince wait until he wasn't being watched then meet her at her apartment. He sent one in return asking if he could bring his partner, me. Steph agreed. We waited to start heading toward an SUV, until everyone went back upstairs. Everyone except Hal and Junior, who stood at the base of the stairs watching us. I didn't think much of it at the time.

A/N:

Hey guys I loved the reviews that came in for chapter 1 and would loved to here what you have to say….especially about Binkie's POV, I've never written a story with the prospective of someone who wasn't the main character.

Thanks,

Ms.M.


End file.
